Black Eyes
by Nikozawa
Summary: His eyes were burrowing into mine. His intentions were good; honest. But somehow, I was still left empty... EdwardxOC.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own _Twilight_. Obviously.

1. Amber and Ebony

I remember how the sun used to shine. Non-stop. Relentlessly, caressing the grassy meadows and swaying trees and making was for a warm breeze to brush by and comb through my long honey-colored tresses. It was very rare that it would rain in our quiet, sunny little town. But when it did, I loved it.

Ever since I could remember, I would dance out on the front lawn on days when it would rain. I knew it was weird, but it made me feel warm. The rain made me feel safe.

The day I turned twelve was the last day of regular sunshine I saw for the next four years. There was a week or two of sunshine in the summer, which were usually in mid to late July, and the random sunny day once or twice a month, but, other than that, I loved it. I loved to feel the cool droplets against my skin, soaking my hair and clothes. My parents thought it was a bit odd that I had taken a liking to such permanently dreary weather. I suppose any normal person would have missed the sun. Then again I had always been, as my parents had put it, a bit odd. No one had any problem with pointing it out to me, either. I didn't mind it, though. I liked who I was. I was unique.

This was one of the many thoughts I pondered on while I lazed about my back porch steps one morning. I was writing-- about what, I forget-- and every now and then I would look off in the woods and a heavy wind would swing by me, sweeping my hair clumsily about my face. The rain had yet to start, though dark clouds loomed overhead and his the golden sun. The soft chiming of church bells could be heard in the distance, as they could several times each day. In the dim, peaceful surroundings I had lost almost all sense of time. The digital clock on my phone beeped once. I sighed heavily as I realized it was nearing eight, then stood up.

As I walked to my car, I couldn't help but feel like I was being watched. I reached out for the door handle on the driver's side of my deep silver Malibu. There was a rustle somewhere out in the distance of the thick wood, and I froze. After a few minutes of silence, I decided it was nothing and got into my car.

My house was very far back in the woods. The gravel driveway alone spanned two or three miles and came out onto an even longer mountain path. About a mile up from where I turned onto the trail was an old, almost ancient, mansion. It looked like something out of an old monster movie and had been abandoned for years. Some people believed it was haunted. I thought that was complete and total bogus. I had went inside it enough to know whether or not the place was really haunted. Even so, no one would go anywhere near it.

But, this particular morning, all the lights were lit and two cars, a shiny silver Volvo and a monstrous Jeep, were parked in front of it. Had someone actually decided to take residence there? Or were there just some pranksters looking for a thrill?

I put the thought out of my mind and drove on. It was a ten minute drive out of the woods, and then a five minute drive to my high school. First period was a free period for me, so I wasted the extra hour and a half in the library, sketching nothing in particular, just whatever happened to pop into my head. Then, as the bell rang, with a groan and deliberate hesitation, I made my way to my first real class of the day. When I walked in there was already someone sitting in my usual seat.

He was very handsome, with pale gray skin and bronze hair. Dark circles lingered beneath his eyes, as if he'd never slept a night in his life. And as my eyes met his, they turned from amber to pitch black. I continued to stare blankly at his dark, captivating eyes as they narrowed into a hateful glare. Then his lips curled up over his glistening white teeth. With that, I immediately looked away.

"Miss Porter, is something wrong?" Mrs. Whitby, my teacher, asked. I guess she then noticed that I was looking awkwardly away from the boy in my seat. "Oh, we've rearranged the seating chart. You'll be sitting in front of Mr. Cullen from now on," she gestured to him. I groaned inwardly. And I sweat I could feel his glare burning into my back the entirety of class. I hated algebra now more than ever, and I didn't even think that was even humanly possible.

Relief washed over me when the bell for third period rang. I actually had friends in that class; I had someone to talk to . Of course, my best friend Katrina noticed that I was upset the second I was in her sight, and was instantly on my case.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," I sighed, then plopped down exhaustedly into my desk. "We just got a new student today in algebra. A guy."

Kat's eyes lit up. "Who? What's his name?"

"I only know his last name; Cullen."

"Edward or Emmett?"

"You know him?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, I've met Emmett. He and his sister Alice have art with me in first. They don't really talk much. I've seen Edward walking out in the halls with them. Describe the guy in your algebra class for me."

I took a breath and began to speak, but stopped as something near the doorway caught my attention. Much to my horror and shock, the same bronze-haired Cullen walked in. But, thankfully, he took a seat on the opposite side of the room. At least that way I didn't have to feel his black gaze piercing through the back of my skull.

"That's him," I breathed.

"That's Edward Cullen. I guess I can't blame you for staring. He's absolutely gorgeous."

"I don't think he likes me very much."

"Why not?"

"He glared a hole straight though me during class."

"Oh...well, did you say or do something that might have offended him?"

"No, I haven't even spoken to him. Not a single word."

Katrina's eyes looked up at Edward, then quickly flashed back to me. "He's staring. You must've done something."

"Kat, I'm telling you, I haven't done anything!"

"You like him, don't you?" Katrina blurted suddenly, grinning a wicked grin.

I paused for a moment, stunned. "Where the hell would you get an idea like that?" I snapped.

"It's just not like you to get so upset over a guy giving you a dirty look," then she quickly added, "No matter how hot he is."

I blushed. "It's not like that. I don't like him. I just want to know why he seems to hate me so much!"

At that, I turned poutingly away from her. Thanks to Mrs. Wright, who began the day's lesson, Kat wasn't able to push the subject any further...for the moment. There would be no escaping it during lunch.

Or at least I thought. But when the lunch bell rang, Katrina went on ahead of me, stopping at Edward's desk. He gave me a fleeting look beneath his long, thick lashes, then whispered something in her ear. And I couldn't move. I was too stunned. Kat looked it too. Their whispered conversation lasted for a few minutes, and then Kat moved on, light-headed and confused.

I followed after her. I had just begun to realize how much I couldn't stand the uncomfortable air of being alone in the same room with him.

He moved swiftly in front of me, stopping in the doorway and blocking my path. He was turned toward me, his black eyes burning into me once more. At first his sudden movement had scared me, but fear soon flared up into anger and irritation. Even so, I tried to control myself. I tried to be nice.

"Excuse me, please," I said as politely as I could manage. He didn't move. I fought back the urge to shove him out of my way and storm past him. Instead, I folded my arms together impatiently and looked him dead in the eye. "What is it?"

"You think I hate you," he stated.

"Well, don't you? You haven't shown anything to prove otherwise."

His eyes lightened a little bit, but he didn't reply. He just stood there, staring at me silently. His face was focused, intense, as if he were searching for something and my face somehow held the answer. "You're different," he said in an almost questioning manner.

I didn't reply for a while. I didn't know how. "You hate me because I'm different?"

"No, I don't hate you."

"Then what was the deal earlier? And why are you holding me hostage now?" I demanded, my voice hinting at my annoyance. And he seemed to sense it.

"Listen, I don't hate you..." He began.

"I'm leaving," I stated as I attempted to squeeze past one of his muscular shoulders. Immediately I felt something grab my arm and pull me back into the room. The next thing I could comprehend, I was pinned to the wall, Edward hovering over me. His face was merely inches from mine and his hands were on either side of my head. My eyes stared up at him, wide and a little scared.

"Listen," he stared.

My voice was quiet and trembling as I struggled to maintain the same firmness I had possessed before. "L-let me go."

"Not until you listen." he paused. "I don't hate you. And I'm not going to hurt you," I knew he was referring to my body's involuntary, panicked shaking. "Stay away from me."

"What?"

"You heard me. Stay away."

My voice shifted from scared back to annoyed. "Gladly. But it's kind of hard to do when you've got me pinned here like this."

He moved away from me with the same swiftness he had before. So swiftly, I didn't actually see him move. One moment he had me against the wall, the next he was gone. I was left even more confused by him than before.

Lunch went by in a hazy blur. I didn't eat. A sick feeling bubbling up in my stomach warned me against it.

"Hey, Lyn, what exactly did he say to you?" Kat asked worriedly.

I kept a blank, vacant expression as I continued to poke at the inedible-looking substance on my lunch tray I was told was supposed to be turkey and gravy with my fork.

"He told me to stay away from him."

Kat blinked, obviously not expecting that response. "What?"

"He told me to stay away from him," I repeated in an uncaring tone.

"Wow. So he really does hate you, huh? He didn't sound like it when he talked to me. I thought he was going to ask you out or something."

"Yeah right," I muttered with a rueful laugh. "Like that would ever happen."

My face was still down, but my eyes were looking toward the table across the room where Edward sat. He was sitting with his burly brother Emmett and his pixie-like sister Alice. Two others sat with them, both honey blonde-- one a gorgeous girl with a slim figure, the other one a lean-looking boy with perfect posture. They were all equally pale. And equally beautiful.

They weren't speaking to each other, nor were they eating. They all just stared blankly down at their untouched food. The blonde boy looked up for a split, wrinkled his nose and little and furrowed his brown, then his gaze moved back to his tray. His lips moved inaudibly, rapidly, his eyes locked on Alice. I couldn't even begin to guess what he was telling her, but, whatever it was, both Edward and Alice looked up at me. The wave of indifference that consumed me worsened the sick feeling in my stomach. I just couldn't take it. Why did it bother me so badly?

I left the table without a word, emptying my full tray into a nearby trash can and just short of sprinting out of the cafeteria. My feet carried me forward aimlessly, just as long as I could get away from those eyes, those many sets of charcoal black eyes, staring intimately into the depths of my being. It didn't even register when the heavy glass door that was a side exit near the front of the school swung open before me and the heavy rain began to pound against my body. Consciousness didn't even reestablish its former grip on me until I was in my own driveway, slumped against the steering wheel of my car.

I felt sick. Unbearably sick. I felt a tightening squeeze in my chest that came from rejection. Why the hell was it getting to me? I'd only known him for one stupid day, and already he was bugging the bejesus out of me. I needed to get him out of my mind. I needed to forget. I wanted to forget...


	2. Chapter 2

2. Mistake

The rest of the week dragged by slowly. It was needless to say that the situation with Edward and myself didn't improve over those few excruciatingly long days...much. He did stop the ferocious and hostile glares during second and third period, and had taken instead to ignoring me altogether. I guess that could've been considered an improvement. Naturally, I was more than happy to extend the same courtesy to him.

It took a little while, but I had finally managed to reestablish my same happy facade. All smiles, no worry or aggravation; no Edward. He was in the very back of my mind, all but forgotten.

My cheerful mask had stood untouched for several years. I smiled and laughed, doing the craziest damned things to make certain my friends were happy, and ignored whatever it was that I was feeling. I had been rejecting myself for so long, acting out this life of mock selflessness for so long, I had forgotten what my own feelings were. My body shifted uneasily over the cold, damp, moss-speckled rocks that made up the creek bank. Tears were sliding soundlessly down my face. There was something I hadn't expected to gain from meeting Edward Cullen; a large crack in my solid fortress. And as I sat in the dark comfort of the woods with only the trickling sound of the creek rushing past me, I could feel it growing bigger.

Damn it, stop crying, I told myself. My tears were determined to defy me. It took a loud, thunderous howl from my husky, Izzie, to conquer their rebellion. He was staring out into the woods, snarling and growling at something I couldn't see. I stood up and dusted off my faded jeans before patting his back gently.

"What is it, Izzie boy?" I whispered soothingly. His low growl turned to a soft whining sound. He turned and nudged me in the direction of my house with his nose. "Izzie?"

It was then that I noticed the soggy crunching sound of footsteps growing closer. But the noise was irregular. Fast. Too fast. My heart began to pound dangerously loud in my chest. Izzie started up again with his low growl. I stood frozen in place on the mossy rocks of the bank. A nearby willow branch rustled, someone or something appearing from behind its thick curtain of leaves and foliage. I was both relieved and disappointed to see it was Edward. He was staring at me with a seemingly amused look on his face, which immediately turned to a frustrated frown when he saw the great white dog standing protectively in front of me, his throat still rumbling dangerously.

"It seems he doesn't like me very much," Edward said, a safe distance back from the fierce canine glaring him down. His eyes, the brightest amber I'd ever seen them, darkened a little while glaring back at Izzie.

"That makes two of us. What the hell are you doing here?" I snapped angrily. His eyes moved to me, a smirk on his cold lips.

"You're angry with me," he stated proudly.

I inhaled deeply through clenched teeth. "I'm not so much angry as I am annoyed."

He took a seat on the same large rock I had been lying on moments ago, then patted a spot next to him, eyes still focused on me. "Sit."

"No thanks. I prefer to stand. And you still haven't answered my question."

"What the hell am I doing here?"

"Yes."

"I live just up the road from you. In the old manor."

I blinked. Izzie was no longer growling, but he was sitting between me and Edward. "You live there?"

"Yes. Why do you sound so surprised? Don't tell me you think it's haunted as well."

"No," I said with a glare. "I'm not that gullible."

He gave a short laugh, and all I could do was stare at him. His radiance was enhanced in the dull, gray light that filtered down from the thick cover of trees and skimmed lightly over his pale skin. I thought I noticed a faint sparkle as a slightly brighter beam of light danced across the dark circle just beneath his left eye, but it faded even faster than it was noticed, so I couldn't be sure.

"Aren't I supposed to be staying away from you?" I muttered.

He looked down at the murky, glistening water. "I guess. And you seem to be doing a very impressive job. You haven't even so much as looked at me all week. Until now, of course. And that one day at lunch."

Izzie nuzzled up against me gently, his icy blue eyes still fully focused on Edward.

"Your dog seems very fond of you. He must be quite the bodyguard."

I stroked the snowy-white fur on the back of Izzie's neck. "Yes, he is. Though, to be honest, he's usually a really friendly dog. I've never seem him growl at someone like that."

"Animals, dogs especially, can sense things about people you could never even begin to imagine. For example," he paused, his eyes darkening even more. "An honors student with a mental disorder that leads him to becoming a serial killer. Neither you or I would be able to tell him apart from anyone else. But your dog, Izzie, could hear the chaos in his words, see the malice in his eyes."

He was standing now, a little closer than before, his eyes searching mine. "Are you trying to convince me that you're dangerous?" I asked. I knew he was just trying to scare me. It wasn't going to work.

"No. I'm telling you I'm dangerous," he said in a calm, almost threatening voice.

"I don't scare that easily, Mr. Cullen--"

"Edward. Call me Edward."

Izzie snarled as he took another step toward me. "Calm down, boy."

"Smart dog. He knows a lot more than you give him credit for."

This time I paused. "Why exactly are you down this far from the manor? I'm sure there couldn't be anything around here of interest to you."

"I felt like taking a look around. Being cooped up in that dark house gets pretty boring after a while. This place seemed the best spot to be. It has natural beauty, and it's secluded enough that no one probably comes here very often."

"I do. Every chance I get."

"Really?" he mused with genuine interest lacing his smile. "Izzie too?"

"Yes. My little sister Marie comes with me sometimes as well. She loves to play in the water during the sunny summer days."

"So this is kind of like a home away from home for you, isn't it?"

"I guess that's what you'd call it. But mostly I come here when I'm frustrated or depressed. When I need to think," I said, more to myself than Edward. My thoughtful gaze had turned to the creek. Something cold brushed my cheek, and Edward was hovering over me, the same way he had the day we met. The bright yellowish amber had lost all trace of its dark tint. Cold fingertips brushed against my cheek a second time, then left a ghostly touch on my lips. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest.

He withdrew his hand sharply, as if he'd been burned or socked by something. This made me give an inward sigh. Static electricity. Just my luck. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

I was breathless. "For what?"

"I shouldn't be here. I should've turned back the second I saw you were here." He seemed almost disgusted with himself. "You really shouldn't be out here by yourself. There are many dangerous things in the woods. I wouldn't want you getting hurt."

"I'll be fine. Izzie will be with me," I responded.

"Izzie's made a fatal mistake, already."

I frowned. "What's that?"

He leaned over me, his forehead pressed to my own. "Allowing me to come this close to you."

His eyes were burrowing into mine. His intentions were good; honest. But somehow, I was still left feeling empty. Especially when he turned away. "Edward, wait--"

But he was already gone. The only trace left of him was the tingling trail on my cheek left by his gentle touch.

I would dream of those black eyes from that night on.


	3. Chapter 3

3. Promise

In the past, my dreams had always been a reflection of either my deepest, most secret desires, or my worst fears. So as I stood by the creek, Edward hovering over me, I tried desperately to differentiate which one it was. His eyes were a confused mixture of amber and obsidian. I felt a cold fingertip trace my bottom lip, and I shivered from the touch. One his hands cupped my cheek tenderly, while the other brushed through my hair. His face inched closer until I could taste his breath on my lips.

"Edward," I whispered, my heart racing.

"Lyn, I want you to promise me something," he said, his eyes dark and sad.

I simply nodded.

"Promise to keep as far away from me as you possible can."

"Why?" I asked.

"I can't explain it. Just promise me."

"I...can't."

He gave me a firm look. "And why is that?"

"Because I...I..."

He shushed me in a soothing voice before pulling me into his embrace. I felt his nose trace the curve of my shoulder. I heard a satisfied sound escape him, then felt something wet slide over the skin just over my jugular. I closed my eyes and sighed. It was hard to tell what happened next, but I felt a sharp, searing crescent-shaped tearing in my neck, and then something pouring painfully out of me. My body became slowly weak, and I fell to the cold, damp ground. Edward's eyes were staring down at me, a menacing shade of crimson instead of their usual gold or black. He looked pained, as if he'd just witnessed something terrible. As if he'd just done something wrong.

"Lyn, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Ed...ward..." I managed as I reached out for him. I was parched and the air surrounding me had become inexplicably hot. He turned away.

"I told you to stay away. I'm a monster. I'm dangerous."

My vision was hazed, the images of black clouds shrouding over my eyes. A wet rhythmic rustle sounded and echoed. Edward was walking away.

No.

"Edward..." I called out. My voice grew stronger, even as my body grew weaker. The sharp pains on the side of neck burned, and were engulfed by an invisible flame. But I didn't care.

Edward...Edward...

"Edward!" I screamed, shooting up from the comfort of my dark blue sheets. I quickly scanned the room with my eyes. No Edward. No blistering pain in my neck. It was just a dream. I wiped cold sweat from my forehead and let out a shaky sigh.

That day, school was misery. I was still a bit shaken from the previous night's dream, and dark circles similar to Edward's, thought not nearly as dark, were painted beneath my eyes. I heard several comments about my lack of energy during first period alone. When I walked to second, I found that Edward wasn't there.

It was Friday, what was supposed to be the best day of the week, but I suddenly resented it. I wanted to talk with Edward, even more so because of my dream, and the fact that I was going to have to wait until monday to do so made me that much more eager for the day to end. When it finally did, I was thankful, thought it didn't get much better on the way home.

I decided to stop by the old manor on the way, to see if Edward was okay. I'm not exactly sure what inspired me to do so, but, before I could think it through and stop myself, I found myself tapping on the massive black wooden door. No one answered. The only thing that could be heard was the light rain dancing through the branches of the surrounding trees. I tried nothing again. Still nothing.

A sudden chill crept its way up my spine. There was someone...or something...watching me, I just knew it. I spun around towards the woods. I heard a loud snap. A sickening, crunching snap. Followed by it was an unearthly squeal; the sound of a dying animal. Was it a mountain lion, lunging on its prey? It could've been a wolf. My dad had said something about seeing a wolf lingering around the woods further down the trail.

I could hear something approaching with light, speedy steps. The bushes were rustling furiously. I was relieved to see a tall man with long red hair emerge from the woods. He was dressed casually in torn jeans and an old faded t-shirt. His skin was an inhumanly pale shade of gray, similar to Edward's, and his his eyes were the same bloody shade as his eyes. Was he a relative of the Cullens?

"You scared me," I said in an exasperated manner.

The man tilted his head curiously to the side. "Did I? My apologies. Scaring you wasn't my intention, I assure you."

His voice was rough; ominous. Being so far away from everything, alone with this single, rather terrifying-looking man made me nervous. "Do you know the Cullens?" I asked in a meek voice.

"No, not particularly," he replied. I could feel his eyes skimming over me, studying me with interest. Undressing me. Drinking me in. "Although we've met. Are you well-acquainted with them?"

"No, not really."

"Ah, I see," he said, his mouth curving upward into a twisted grin, inciting another chill. I could feel the hair on the back of my neck standing straight up.

Something about him scared me, and when he took a few steps toward me, I felt my heart pound loudly in my chest. I took a step back.

"I should probably go."

He took a step closer. "Why's that? Aren't you here to visit the Cullens as well?"

"I don't think they're home right now. I'll come back later."

Another step. His smile was ironic and knowing. "I'm sure they'll be home any second. Why don't we wait for them...together?"

"No thanks," I said quickly. "I really should be going."

A cold, stone-like hand gripped my wrist. "I insist."

"Let me go," I said shakily. I tried to pull away from him, but his grip on me was solid.

I looked down at his hand as I saw something move in a blur towards it, then noticed another hand there, wrapped around my attacker's wrist.

"You heard her. Let her go," a silky, firm, familiar voice said.

I looked up. "Edward?"

It was him. He was standing behind me, his free arm wrapped around my waist protectively. His amber eyes were burning into the man holding my arm. "Let her go and leave. Now."

The red-haired man didn't hesitate. He released my arm immediately and retreated into the forest. Edward swung me around to face him, so fast and forcefully it startled me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked me furiously.

"I came to see if you were okay. I was worried when you didn't come to school today," I replied, face turning red. I looked down in an attempt to hide some of my embarrassment and frustration. What gave him the right to be so snappy with me?

"Didn't I tell you it was dangerous out here by yourself? You should've went home."

I looked up at him defiantly. "Well, pardon me for trying to be nice. Besides, you also told me that you were dangerous, but nothing's happened to me yet," I snapped confidently. "What's so dangerous about someone who just saved your life?"

My eyes were locked with his, and my hand reached up and touched his cheek gently. He was ice cold. Slowly his hand slid over mine. "Lyn..."

"Yes?" I asked hopefully.

"...You shouldn't be here," he dropped his hand and turned away, forcing mine away. "Go home."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I want to know exactly what's going on with you. Some of the things you said to me at the creek...I didn't understand them. I want to understand you. I don't like being left in the dark like that."

"This isn't the time to be playing games, Lyn."

"I gave him a firm look. "I'm not playing games. I just want to know what the hell is going on. I deserve that much."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "I don't think I've ever met anyone quite as stubborn as you."

"If I'm so stubborn, then why not just give in and let me have what I want?"

He smiled suggestively. "And what exactly is that you want?"

"An explanation, idiot," I said, rolling my eyes. "Don't be so full of yourself."

His smile faded to a pained, saddened look. "Please, Lyn, just listen to me. Go home to your family. I'm not the kind of guy you want to get involved with."

"But, Edward--"

"No buts. Go home."

He turned on his heel and disappeared into the manor. The light rain became heavier, a cry from heaven. A sharp pain was jabbing into my chest. That beautiful face and lovely, soft voice deepened it every second they lingered in my mind. That was when I knew.


	4. Chapter 4

4. Blood and Silence

As the door slammed behind Edward, I could feel pressure squeezing in my chest. Warm tears were welling up behind the rims of my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away. I wasn't going to go home. I didn't want to. Right now all I wanted was to be alone.

I found my sanctuary at the creek, like every other time I had felt the need to escape a source of depression. I sat on my usual moss-covered boulder and desperately fought back the urge to cry. I didn't even care when I heard the slushing crunch of gravel behind me. "What do you want?" I said flatly. I was in no mood to be polite.

A cold hand descended to pull the hood of my jacket from my head. I turned abruptly to see the same red-headed man kneeling beside me, bloody eyes tinted with obsidian and locked onto my own. He wiped away one of my tears with his forefinger. "Why are you crying?" his tone was harsh instead of comforting as he spoke.

My entire body stiffened. I couldn't move. I felt his hand roughly grab my chin and jerk my head to the side. I slapped it away without thinking, and he backhanded me, sending me flying off the mossy bank and into the creek shallows.

He sighed. "I hate how easy this is."

It took only a second for him to be over me, lifting me up over the freezing water by my neck. I kicked at him furiously, only to be thrown back up towards the bank, scraping against the rocks as I fell and slid. A bloody smear followed behind me. I found the entire left sleeve of my jacket was soaked through with blood from the severe scrapes on my arm beneath it. The red-headed man's nostril's flared as he filled his lungs with a deep breath of cool, damp air. Then he was over me again, crimson eyes now as black as night and cold hands clenched around my throat.

I was scared. Terrified. This man was going to kill me. Edward's face flashed in and out of my mind as I struggled for air, followed by a flurry of emotions; happiness, sorrow, regret, and hopelessness. I couldn't breathe. I was slipping away, my eyes slowly closing, my becoming still and dangling helplessly in the air...

"No!" A voice screamed behind me before I was dropped down to the ground. I heard a low growl, like that of a mountain lion, then the rustling sound of two animals fighting. One of the two fighting whimpered, and someone was beside me, holding me up.

"Oh, God...Edward, hold your breath."

"Is she going to be alright? Did he..." Edward's voice whispered. He had such a sweet voice. The other one speaking with him was unfamiliar, but pleasant and warm.

"No. Her arm's scraped up pretty bad, though. Let's get her home."

"But..."

"Don't worry about him. Emmett and Jasper followed after him. They'll make sure that he doesn't bother her again."

I felt my body being lifted and cradled by strong arms.

"Edward..." I whispered, my eyes still closed. They were so heavy. I couldn't open them, no matter how much I tried. I wanted to see Edward. I was so afraid he was going to disappear.

"Lyn, it's okay. I'm right here."

Something lightly touched my head, and I flinched. "She's hit her head. It's not serious, though. Let her sleep."

"Edward..." I repeated.

His cold lips pressed to my forehead. "Shh. It's okay, Lyn. I'm here."

"Don't leave me again..."

"I won't. Just sleep. I'll stay with you. I promise."

His soothing voice began to him lightly. My body relaxed, and along with the darkness that clouded my eyes came silence.


	5. Chapter 5

5. Curious

When I came to, I was in a dark, familiar room. It was large, furnished with several shelves that must have held hundreds upon hundreds of CDs. There was a complex and expensive-looking stereo in the corner, and I found myself lying on a comfy black leather sofa. I slowly sat up, looking around the room in awe. The floors were heavily polished hardwood-- it shined so much you could see your reflection on the surface-- and the windows that took up nearly half the wall beside me was framed by dark gold curtains that matched the swirling gold patterns on the wallpaper. The only door leading in or out of the room was cracked open slightly.

"Well, did you take care of him?" I heard Edward's voice ask.

"Yes. He's not going to bother your friend again," another replied. "She was very lucky."

"I know. He would've killed her if we hadn't shown up when we did. Thank yo for fixing her up, Carlisle."

Carlisle gave a light laugh. "Well, it is my job. Let me know when she wakes up. I'll give her a ride home."

"That won't be necessary. I want to drive her home myself."

"Are you sure you can handle being alone with her right now, Edward?" Carlisle's voice had become intense.

"Yeah, I'll be okay," I heard Edward sigh. He pushed open the door, and his golden eyes softened when he saw me. "You're awake, I see. How's your arm? Does it hurt?"

I looked down to see my jacket gone and my arms bared by my peach tank top. Thick white gauze covered my left arm, halfway above my elbow. It stung a little when I tried to move it. "Not too bad," I replied.

Edward sat beside me on the sofa, gently placing his cold hand on a tender spot on the top of my head. "How about your head? Carlisle said you didn't hit it too bad when you were thrown."

"Actually," I began, rubbing my sore backside, "I think my butt pretty much took the full impact of the fall."

He chuckled. "At any rate, it's good to see you're back to your same goofy self."

"I'm serious. My butt really hurts. What happened, anyway?"

"You were attacked by that man we saw outside earlier. It's very fortunate for you that Carlisle and myself happened to pass by when we did," he placed his hand on the side of my face and brushed his thumb across my cheek," Or you'd probably be dead right now."

I couldn't stop the heat welling up in my cheeks. My heart ponded to an irregular rhythm. I was surprised that it didn't stop beating entirely. "You realize that this makes twice you've saved my life today."

"Yeah," he whispered, pressing his nose to mine, "and I said I was dangerous, right?"

"Yeah...right," I said, mesmerized by his lovely amber eyes and crooked smile. When he pulled away, I immediately made an attempt to change the subject. "Edward?"

"Yes?"

"Who's Carlisle?"

"He's my father."

"Oh. So he's the one who did this?" I gestured to my injured arm.

"Yes. He's a doctor. He just started working a the town's hospital a few days ago."

"Well, tell him I said thank you," I paused. "Wait, or do I owe him money? How much do I need to pay him?"

Again Edward chuckled. "You don't owe him a dime. He's always happy to help."

"But I feel really bad not paying him for taking care of me."

He tenderly kissed my forehead, something that took my by surprise. "Calm down. Don't feel bad. Like I said, he's happy to help."

The amused smirk on Edward's face made me well-aware of how red my face must have turned. He laughed lightly.

"Are you ready for me to take you home?"

"No."

"You know, you really are stubborn."

"I believe you've already told me that once today."

"And confusing."

"I'm confusing? I'm not the one talking in riddles, now am I?"

"Not to mention fascinating." He absent-mindedly pushed a lock of hair away from my face. My breath caught in my chest as I felt his fingers skim lightly over my lips, then drop down to the skin of my neck.

"Edward," I breathed.

"Yes?"

I subconsciously leaned towards him so that my lips were centimeters away from his. I wanted to tell him. As my heart beat rapidly in my chest, I wanted to let him know how I felt right then. Right now. "Edward, I..."

He turned away from me, pain and sadness overtaking his beautiful, elegant face. "I'm taking you home. You're parents are probably worried about you."

"Then let me call them and let them know where I am."

"No, you need to go home. Now."

I crossed my arms like a pouting child. "No."

"Lyn, please," he begged. "Listen to me."

"Edward, I am listening to you. I hear you loud and clear."

"You're just not doing as I tell you."

"Exactly," I said with a smug grin. "What did you expect, anyway. You're not my dad."

He carefully took me by both shoulders, as if he were handling an object made of glass. "Lyn, I'm being serious."

"So am I. I'm not leaving."

"You're not going to change her mind, Edward, so you might as well just give up," a tiny female voice said. Edward's sister Alice was standing in the doorway, a slight smile on her face. The honey blonde boy whom I always saw sitting with her at lunch was standing right behind her, holding her hand. This was the first time I had gotten to see him so close. It was strange how seeing him up close made me realize how mature he looked. Not a boy, but not quite a man either. He was also a bit taller and leaner than I had first thought him to be.

"Alice? Jasper? When did you get back?"

"A few minutes ago."

"Are Emmett and Rosalie with you?" Edward asked, looking through the door past them.

"Yeah. They're downstairs with Carlisle. I'm really sorry about what happened to you, Lyn, and I'm glad you're okay." Alice flashed me a grin.

"Thank you," I replied.

She took my hand and shook it. "I'm Alice, by the way, and this here's Jasper," she pulled the blonde up beside her. "We're really pleased to meet you. Edward's told us so much about you."

"He has?" I shot Edward a threatening glare.

"Yeah," Jasper said, then swallowed hard. He looked like he was in pain. "He's hardly quit talking about you since our first day of school."

Alice giggled as Edward shot Jasper a glare equivalent to the one I'd just given. The atmosphere in the room had become unbearably awkward. Edward and I looked shyly away from each other.

"Don't you need to call your parents? To let them know you're okay?" he suggested.

"No, actually. Carlisle's already talked to them and explained what happened down at the creek. He told them Edward would bring you home in a little while," Alice informed us. She was giving me a knowing look, which I didn't understand. "Come on, Jasper. How about we let them talk for a while?"

Jasper smiled both gratefully and lovingly at Alice. "Okay."

And the two left. "Are they..."

"Together? Yes."

"But I thought you all were..."

"No. None of us are blood-related, except for Jasper and Rosalie. They're twins. We were all adopted by Carlisle and his wife, Esme."

"Oh."

That explained why none of them looked anything alike. Except for the pale skin. And the unbelievably beautiful golden eyes.

I smiled. "Carlisle sounds like a wonderful person. I hope I get to meet him someday."

"You will. He'll be doing checkups on your arm every other day or so until it heals, so it doesn't get infected."

"He doesn't have to do that."

"He wants to. And when Carlisle sets his mind to something, you can't convince him otherwise."

"But--"

He smiled and placed two cold fingers to my lips to silence me. "No buts, Lyn. Let Carlisle do what he wants."

It was strange how my heart seemed to act up every time Edward touched me, how I suddenly became flustered and speechless.

"What are you thinking about?" his musical voice asked me.

I turned away. "N-nothing."

He wrapped his arms around me from behind and placed his cold marble hands over my own. "Please, tell me. I want to know."

I took a deep breath. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"It doesn't matter what thought is going through my mind, the second you touch me, I forget everything. I don't understand how you do it."

I felt the tip of his nose graze the skin just behind my ear. "I don't understand it, either," I felt his cool breath against my skin. "Just like I don't understand why I felt the way I did earlier."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"When I saw that man with you, I knew he was going to..." he paused to release one of my hands so he could ball his own into a tight fist. I could see a bluish vein popping up from beneath the pale skin on the back of his hand. His voice was hard and angry as he finished, "I wasn't going to let him."

I traced the line on his clenched hand, then looked up into his eyes, filled with and unknown and unnamable horror. I could see the rage dying his butterscotch irises with tints of black around the edges. They were burning into me, but not as the hate-filled glare I had experienced the first day we met. This time they appeared gentle, an emotion I'd never seen reflecting and shimmering in them. I wanted to be lost in those eyes forever. He took my chin in his right hand.

"Listen to me. No good is going to come from being around me."

"Edward, please--"

The door swung open. A tall man in his early twenties with bright blonde hair stood before us, looking at Edward and myself with a warm smile. It was strained, thought. It was obvious that he was aware of how intense the atmosphere had become.

"What is it, Carlisle?" Edward asked.

"I just spoke with Jeremiah and Esther."

My parents. I could already imagine the scene I was going to go home to; my mom would be freaking out, pacing the living room in random and odd patterns and hyperventilating while my dad scouted for me on the porch. I wasn't looking forward to that.

"They wanted me to send you home as soon as you feel up to it."

"Let's get going then," Edward prodded.

I growled. "Who said I feel up to it right now?"

In one swift movement, he scooped me up in his arms. "I did."

It took him a few short seconds to get me outside and into the passenger seat of his silver Volvo. I buckled myself in reluctantly, a pouting scowl on my face.

"Drive safe, Edward," a woman with carmel-colored hair and a heart-shaped face called out from the front porch of the manor. She was arranging bright red and orange flowers (I assumed they were artificial because of the weather) into white vases lined up along the railings. She must have been Carlisle's wife, Esme.

The car came to life, and we drove down to my road and turned out of sight of the manor. I absolutely refused to look at Edward.

"Are you angry with me?"

"No."

"Then what's wrong?"

I looked over at him and was shocked to see him staring back, eyes off of the road. A strangely smug grin was plastered on his face. My dumbfounded state had momentarily robbed me of speech. "Edward, what the hell are you doing?" I blurted suddenly.

"Driving. What does it look like?"

"Keep your eyes on the road!"

He laughed lightly, but obeyed. It was obvious that he wasn't too worried about anything happening to us. "Calm down. You're too tense."

"Tense? Aren't you the tiniest bit worried that you might end up accidentally wrapping us around a tree?" I said in a sharp, squeaky voice.

"No, not really. I've been driving for quite a while, and, I'm proud to say, have never wrecked once."

I glared at him skeptically. "Really? How long is 'quite a while' exactly? A year? Maybe two?"

He didn't answer me straight, but heard him mumble under his breath, "A lot longer than you realize."

The rest of the ten minute drive was spent in almost complete silence, save fore the radio, which was tuned into to a familiar rock station I listened to often. The volume was turned down low, so I could just barely hear the song that was playing. It was 'All Around Me' by FlyLeaf. I loved that song. And now that I thought about it, it made me think of Edward, as well as the feelings I was struggling to keep in check.

My hands are searching for you

My arms are outstretched towards you

I feel you on my fingertips

My tongue dances behind my lips for you

I felt one of his hands lay itself on my lap, onto my own folded neatly together. I glanced over at him. His eyes were focused straight ahead on the gravel road lined with massive trees, as they should've been, his lips relaxed into a smooth line. His free hand was oddly clenched around the steering wheel. After a few seconds I noticed that the car was no longer moving.

This fire rising through my being

Burning, I'm not used to seeing you

I'm alive, I'm alive

"Are you still curious about me? About why I keep saying I'm dangerous?" Edward asked in a mere whisper.

I can feel you all around me

Thickening the air I'm breathing

I felt my heart fluttering in my chest. It was becoming a little difficult to breathe. "Yeah, I am."

"Lyn, you have to realize something. I'm not the hero you think I am."

Holding on to what I'm feeling

Savoring this heart that's healing

He leaned forward and shut off the radio.

"I don't care. You saved my life. Twice. That's all that matters o me. I think you're more of a hero than you give yourself credit for."

"You're either really brave, or really stupid."

I smiled sheepishly. "It's probably stupidity. I'm really a coward at heart."

Edward flashed me a warm smile. "I wouldn't say that."

As always, he moved swiftly, out of the car and opening the passenger door for me so I could get out.

"Thank you," I muttered shyly. The rain was pouring over the both of us, forming little clear beads on his skin. He looked absolutely in his dark gray sweater and faded jeans. He was the image of perfection. I self-consciously lowered my head a little.

"Is something wrong?" he asked me.

"No, I'm fine."

I felt something heavy and warm wrap around my shoulders. It was a black jacket; I concluded it was Edward's from the way it swallowed my scrawny build. The chills on my arms began to smooth back into my skin.

"There. Is that better?"

I smiled up at him. "Yes, thank you."

He walked me up to the door, holding my hand the entire way. When we were under the dray cover of the porch, I started to take off Edward's jacket. I felt his hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a gentle voice.

"Giving you back your jacket."

He lifted it back onto my shoulders. "No, keep it. Esme took your jacket to the cleaners. You'll need it."

"But--"

"Don't worry, I'll bring it to you by Sunday night."

"Thank you, but you don't have to do that. I'll go get it myself later."

"No," he said firmly, pressing his forehead to mine. "I'll bring it to you later. It gives me an excuse to come see you."

"Why do you think you would need an excuse?"

"I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want me around without a fairly good reason."

I looked deep into his bright gold eyes. "You don't need an excuse. You're welcome to drop by anytime."

The corner of his mouth turned upward into a half smile. This his cold lips pressed against my cheek.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

He pulled away from me and walked out into the rain to his car.

"See you later," he called.

"Okay."

The silent stirring of the silver Volvo's engine sounder through the clearing, slightly muffled, and the headlights flashed on. I waved to him from the porch as he backed out of the driveway and drove back into the woods. I didn't make a move for the door until the glow from his tail lights disappeared completely.


	6. Chapter 6

6. Hold Your Breath

Friday night brought me many things; the anxious squeal of my mother as I came into her sight, the smell of smoke that made me wrinkle my nose, (my dad was a smoker, even more so when he was worried or stressed) and, worst of all, the spine crushing embrace they both simultaneously pulled me into. After a short hour of Mom's worried crying and making me swear that I'd never go out into the woods by myself ever again without Izzie I made my way to my bedroom.

Light-headed and exhausted, I buried myself under the purple and white pin-striped comforter and dark blue sheets, then went to sleep.

Saturday wasn't much better. I loitered about my front porch, watching the sky as the gray clouds cleared. It was strangely sunny that day, mimicking my unusually good mood. My chest pounded unevenly with the fresh memory of Edward from the night before. Remembering how close he was, the rainwater beaded on his ash pale skin, the sweet scent that radiated from him made me eager to see him again. I was impatient, fidgety. His face kept flashing in and out of my mind; a modern-day Adonis.

Edward didn't show up. I waited. And waited. And waited. But no matter how many hours passed, he never came. I frowned, feeling a little foolish. If it hadn't been for the bandages that covered the entirety of my left arm I would've thought the majority of the previous day, meaning the parts that included Edward, to have been a dream. An image of perfection such as him would never want to have anything to do with the likes of me.

Before I knew it, the sun was growing closer over the far-away hilltops, and feelings of depression and defeat washed over me. At last, I had given up on him entirely.

My feet were heavy, but they carried my nonetheless to the bathroom on the far end of the house right beside my bedroom. My towel, toothbrush, and pajamas were already set up on the marble counter and silver rack beside it. I showered slowly in scalding hot water, the heat and steam tinging my pale porcelain-colored skin an irritated shade of pink. The water was soothing, purifying, and as it washed over me, it eased away the disappointment and anxiety. For a short second my mind was blank, freed of anything tied to the sensuous enigma that was known as Edward Cullen. However, it was, as I said, only a short second. Brief and simple, flittering away almost as soon as it had come. Forgetting him at all, no matter how short the time span of that forgetfulness, only burned his haunting lovely face even more into my mind as it was forced to recollect my few and recent memories of him. I found myself huddled up on the shower floor, my knees hugged up to my chest. Already the running water had turned cold.

"Lyn, honey, are you alright? You look a little pale," my mother asked me as soon as I came out of the bathroom, fully dressed. Her tone was overly worried. In fear of worrying her even more and causing her another panic attack, I gave her a convincing smile. I wasn't involved in the school's theatre department for something.

"Don't sweat, Mom. I'm fine," I said. Thankfully, she believed me.

"Alright sweetheart. Good night," she kissed me lovingly on the forehead before retreating to her room on the opposite end of the house. My mother Esther was a kind, pretty woman. For the most part, I got my looks from her. I had the same scrawny build as she did when she was in high school. There were a few differences between us. My mom's honey brown hair fell in ringlet curls while my own fell in sweeping, elegant waves, and my mother's figure had fleshed out since her teenage days. Her face was sharper, more defined, mine still kept some of its childish roundness. The biggest difference you could tell between us was our eyes. Hers were a dark hazel brown, a color as rich and dark as chocolate. Mine were a soft, icy green, the color of evergreen leaves seconds after the rain, still splashed with clear blue droplets of water. I had gotten them from my father, Jeremiah. I vaguely remembered my mother's tale of his eyes being the reason she fell in love with him. I had to admit, those sad, bright orbs were beautiful, but they were nothing in comparison to those soft golden amber ones I had grown to love.

Again. Again he was on my mind. My smile faded into a frustrated frown. Standing alone in the living room in my silk pajama shorts and lace spaghetti strap top with my hair drenched and a towel over my shoulders, I seemed to be expecting something. But what? My answer came from a knock at the front door. I hesitated for a few moments before answering.

Edward Cullen was breath-taking in the dark glow of the twilight. The deep orange light illuminated his figure brilliantly. His bronze hair fell untidily over his golden eyes, which burned like the fire of the sunset behind him. He was smiling that perfect crooked smile that always made me want to melt. There was a dark brown bundle under one of his arms.

"Hey."

I stared blankly for a moment, then squeezed my eyes shut, tying to gather the many thoughts that had just scattered on the wind. "H-hey. What're you--"

He out the bundle. "I'm returning your jacket."

"Oh," I mumbled sheepishly, embarrassed. I reached out to take it. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Our hands brushed in the exchange, and a cold heat passed through my skin. I could feep the tips of my ears warm up and redden. "So...um...would you like to come in?"

"Probably wouldn't be the best idea. Your dad's been giving me the evil eye out the bedroom window since I pulled in," his eyes shifted towards the window right beside the porch, then quickly back to me. Surely enough, my father was peeking out through the rose-patterned curtains of his and my mother's bedroom. "He seems very suspicious of me."

I gave a nervous and apologetic laugh. "Don't take it personally, he acts like that with all my guy friends. You see, he's got this 'daddy's little girl' complex. He thinks I'm still too young to be taking an interest in guys."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"I don't think that's too young."

"I know. Dad's way over-protective."

"I can tell," he said with a grin, which I returned. "Shall we talk out here, then?"

"That would probably be best."

I took a seat on one of the metal-framed cushioned patio chairs set out under the cover of the porch. Edward leaned against the wooden railing across from me. "So...how's your arm? Any problems?"

"No, it's fine."

"Carlisle's coming down in a little while. His shift at the hospital should've just ended.

"Oh. Tell him not to make any special trips on my account. He's probably really tired from work. Call him and tell him to go on home and get some sleep."

Edward laughed lightly. Unexpectedly. "He'll be fine. You worry too much."

"Yeah, I hear that a lot. But I don't feel right about Carlisle taking his personal time to take care of me. Now, if I was paying him, that would be a different matter entirely..."

"You don't need to worry about Carlisle's 'personal time'. He loves his work. He loves to help people. He doesn't care about the money."

"I know that. Carlisle seems like a genuinely nice guy," I paused. "You know, I never did get the chance to thank you."

His amber eyes looked me over curiously, searching. "For what?"

"Saving my life."

The curiosity faded from his eyes, and his lips curled downwards into a frown. "Let's not talk about that, okay?" His tone was almost pleading.

"Why?"

He was silent, both of his fists clenched tightly. His jaw was tense.

"Why, Edward?"

I waited, but he was still silent.

"Did you know that guy?"

"...Sort of. Not exactly."

"Who was he?"

He didn't answer. I could see how serious he was, how life-threatening it had been for me, and how much that scared him.

"Edward--"

"Lyn," he finally whispered. "Please, just this once, listen to me. You're better off not knowing."

My response was clam, avoiding the irritation that bubbled deep down inside of me. "I deserve to know, Edward."

He sighed. "You never give up, do you?"

"Nope," I said with a grin. "I'm stubborn, remember?"

As he gave a short, amused laugh, another car, a black Mercedes, pulled up beside his Volvo in the driveway. Seconds later, Carlisle was standing with us, his medical kit in hand. He smiled warmly. "How is your arm, Lyn?"

"It's wonderful. Thank you so much."

"There's no need to thank me. I'm happy to help."

After that, all three of us went into the house. My parents came out and spoke to Carlisle, who then changed my bandages. He didn't really talk much while he was working. His face was focused, and every now and then I saw his eyes dart quickly to Edward and back again. I could've sworn Edward was holding his breath the entire time my dressings were off. It took Carlisle a short three minutes to clean and redress my wounds.

"There, that should do it."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Cullen. How much do I need to pay you?" I asked, reaching for my wallet. Carlisle gave a hearty laugh and snapped his bag shut.

"You don't need to pay a thing. I am off-duty right now, after all."

I frowned. I still felt bad. Edward rolled his eyes with an amused grin. "I told you so."

"Are you ready to leave, Edward?" Carlisle asked.

"You can go on, Carlisle. I still need to talk to Lyn about something."

"Alright. I'll see you in a little while, then."

The two exchanged a meaningful look, then Carlisle was gone and I found myself alone with Edward on the porch again. "So...um, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I'm going to be away for a few days. My family found a really nice camping spot just outside of town."

"Oh," I whispered. That was certainly a surprise. I felt a sudden surge of disappointment.

He looked up at me with what I saw as hopeful eyes. "I'm not going to be around to save you, so don't go out into the woods by yourself, okay?"

"Okay, I won't."

"Promise me."

"Okay, okay, I promise," I said, raising my hand like I was on trail. I felt Edward reach out and take it gently. His lips pressed tenderly against the back of it.

"Lyn, I really am serious this time."

I blushed. "I know."

He gave me a stern, serious look. "Izzie doesn't count."

"I get it."

My eyes eased closed, savoring the feeling of his cold skin as his cheek pressed against the spot his lips had been moments before. When I opened them, he was gone.

Damn. One of these days I was going to have to ask him how he disappeared like that.

"So, are you up for it?" Kat's voice broke through the light-headed daze I'd been in since I'd last seen Edward.

"Up for what?"

"Haven't you been listening to a word we've been saying?"

"Obviously not," my friend Julie snickered.

"Yeah," Daisy said while fiddling with one of her bleach-blonde locks. "She's got a guy on her mind."

Katrina's twin sister Genesis gave me a knowing smirk. "Edward Cullen?"

"Speaking of 'tall, dark, and sexy', I hear he's been coming to see you a lot lately," Kat interjected.

"Yeah, he lives just up the road from me."

Katrina and Daisy squealed happily. "So, are you two dating or what?" Kat asked.

"Of course not!" I snapped defensively, then my voice became soft and distant. "At least I don't think so."

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you don't think so?"

"Well, I, um--"

"Guys, cut it out. Leave Lyn alone. Let's get back on topic, shall we?" I heard Geni growl from the other end of the table. "So, anyway, we were planning on going up to the ranch and staying there for a few days. We could go horseback riding, camping--"

"Camping?" the word had caught my undivided attention. Edward had said something about camping at a spot just outside of town.

"Yeah, on the Setsota mountain trail. There's a trail that leads up there just behind the stables. We can't go too far back in the woods, though. Our limit is around the lake--"

I leaned over the table a little, interested. "Why?"

"Because, Lyn," Kat began. "Those woods are filled with dangerous animals like mountain lions, grizzly bears--"

"--and the occasional wolf," Geni finished, her deep forest green eyes blazing with excitement. "I hear there's some kind of weird bear/wolf crossbreed or something in the woods. A whole pack of them."

"Yeah, and they wear men's trousers and howl at the moon too!" Kat retorted sarcastically. "Do you really believe all that stuff Dad told you? It's just a story he made up to scare us from going out that far into the mountains."

Genesis shot her a serious glare. "That's so not true! I've seen them!"

I was surprised by how fascinated I had become by the twins' gossip and found myself asking in unison wit Katrina, "You did?"

"Yeah, while I was riding back down the trail one afternoon. They were chasing..." she took a long pause, "something," she put great emphasis into that last word.

"What was it chasing?" I asked, now leaning over the table as much as I possibly could without falling flat on my face. Geni's face distorted slightly, and her expression became confused.

"I don't...know. It was getting dark, and, whatever it was, it was moving way too fast to really tell. It was pretty big itself, though. About the size of a person--"

"--Wait a minute, why wasn't I told about this? A giant dog chasing a person? Don't you think that's something worth mentioning, uh, I don't know, maybe a bit earlier?" Kat said angrily.

"I told you, I didn't see what it was chasing, I just said it was about the size of a person. It was too fast to tell. Too fast to even be considered human..."

Surprisingly, the news of the strange monster breed didn't frighten me. In fact, it just made me want to go even more. Good God, I was losing my marbles. "So, when do we plan on heading up there?"

"Wednesday morning. Since Tuesday's our last day this week and all."

I beamed. "Alright, sounds like fun," I said, sitting back up in my seat and stretching out my arms. I winced a little in doing so; my left arm still hadn't fully healed, and unfortunately Kat noticed the thick white gauze beneath the sleeve of my jacket. I saw her bluish eyes go wide.

"What happened to your arm?" she asked me. I yanked my sleeve down to cover what she'd just seen.

"Nothing, I just fell while I was walking down to the creek." Fell? More like I was thrown. But I wasn't about to tell her that.

She didn't look convinced.

I laughed nervously. "Really, Kat. You know how clumsy I can be at times. Almost as clumsy as you."

"Yeah, no doubt about that," she replied with a heavy surrendering sigh. "You know, I honestly worry about you sometimes, Lyn," she muttered under her breath, so low I could barely understand what she was saying. "Anyway, does anyone know what happened to the Cullens? They've all suddenly disappeared."

"They went camping for the week." I wondered if they were in Setsota.

"Oh, really? Did Edward tell you that?"

"Yeah, he did."

"When?"

"Saturday night."

Kat gave me a playful accusatory glare. "Oh, really? And where were you two Saturday night?"

"At my house-- on the front porch-- just talking, of course."

I gave a lonely glance at the table where Edward usually sat with his family. I thought of his wonderfully crooked smile and his smoldering golden eyes. God, I missed him so much I couldn't stand it. And it had only been two days. All I could hope for as the cheerful snickering of my friends roared behind me was that this trip would keep him off my mind.

At least, until I could see him again.


	7. Chapter 7

7. Again

That Wednesday morning, I woke up with a strange feeling bubbling up in my stomach. It was like I could feel someone watching me. I checked my closet and under my bed, like a scared little kid expecting the boogeyman to pop out and grab me at any moment, and then, when I saw that I was completely alone and safe, opened my window and gazed out into the forest. Through a little parting in the trees I could see the old mansion that served as Edward's house. He had been all I could think about since Friday night. Since before then, really. He was such a mystery to me.

The paranoia finally subsiding, I closed my window and got ready to leave. I packed my summer clothing into a suitcase I had stashed under my bed, and then laid out my clothes for the day. What I picked was a pair of loose khaki shorts and a deep red short-sleeved button-up blouse. There was something about the color red that made me feel so homesick. It was a warm color, a summer color. I guessed I was missing the sun a little. But, at the same time, I resented it as well. It had been sunny since the weekend. I hadn't seen Edward since then. I was stupidly blaming the sun for that. I laughed at my own stupidity and pulled my long hair into a high ponytail. My honey-brown hair was curling at the ends, and the orange and yellow of the morning rays was setting the color ablaze, making it look reddish bronze.

Bronze. That was the color of Edward's hair. I shook my head fiercely. Stop thinking about him, I scolded. I turned my mind to the thoughts of the ranch in Setsota, to the luch mountain plains, to the Russells' white horses prancing around behind a picket fence, and to the cool, relaxing tranquil lake. Maybe we would get a chance to visit the Turners as well, whom lived on the other side of it. It had been months since I'd last talked to Noah and Jostline.

We all met outside a cafe downtown and parked our cars, leaving them there and riding with Genesis and Katrina. It was refreshing to get out of Sunny Oaks for a little while, to be away from that place that was so filled with Edward Cullen. Here in Setsota, I wouldn't be haunted by his beautiful topaz eyes or that beautiful, hypnotizing crooked smile. Here I would only think of sunlight, of the beautiful landscape. I had shoved a few sketchpads into my bag. Maybe I would catch up on my artwork. That sounded like a good idea.

Mrs. Russell was standing out on the front porch of the tall white Victorian house, waving to us as we pulled in. Mr. Russell had just come out of the large red building sitting on the far corner of the little field that was fenced in and took up about half of the massive black yard. He had just let the horses out to run. When we got out of the car, his face was grave.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Geni asked. She helped him lift a large bag of horse feed out of his truck, parked right in front of her car.

"Those big dogs have been spotted again. Near the Turner's place."

She let out a sharp, quiet gasp. "Are they okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine, but there's an unidentified body that isn't. A teenager. No one around here knows her name or recognizes her face. She was found an hour ago, a few miles down the road. Every singe bone in her body was broken. She was pretty badly torn up. There was blood everywhere."

I felt bile rise in my throat. Someone had been murdered?

"I don't want you girls going out in the woods by yourselves, okay? If you want to go swimming at the lake, you take me or Noah with you. He's coming up to help me out until this whole thing blows over."

Geni, Kat, Julie, Daisy, and I all nodded in unison. I ran my fingertips down the bandages on my left forearm, and the scrapes beneath them burned slightly. I wouldn't be pushing my luck with these creatures, whatever they were. One near-death experience was enough for me for an entire lifetime.

My first day in Setsota was spent lying on the soft dry grass, gazing up at the clouds. That night, I slept in a sleeping bag in the twins' room. I spent hours awake in the darkness, trying to keep my mind away from certain topics, like love and death. I tried not to think of Edward, but couldn't get the day he had saved my life out of my head. I realized just how easily I could've been that unidentified body. In my mind I saw blood red hair and charcoal black eyes. I shuddered. Stop it, I commanded myself.

I tried everything. I flipped through the pictures on my cellphone. I popped in my headphones and turned my iPod as loud as it would go. I even tried pulling out my long forgotten Gameboy, which hadn't left my suitcase since I was ten. Nothing worked.

Hours later, I would relive the very event I was trying so very hard to escape-- only vastly differnt-- and even more vivid and frighteningly surreal.

The smell of muddy water and rustling trees in the breeze was what awoke me from my sleep. Those were things I had known since I was little, and could recognize them anywhere. I was at the creek. But how? Hadn't I just been at the Russell ranch in Setsota just a few minutes ago? I looked myself over. I was still wearing my pajamas-- an overly large faded ACDC tee and a pair of plain black shorts.

Something was wrong. Something in my blood just screamed so. I felt like I was being watched. There was a soft, dry rustling in the trees.

"Geni? Kat?" I whispered to the empty forest.

A ghostly whispering wind blew the brush apart.

"Edward?" I croaked hopefully.

But who stepped out into the dim, filtered light made my blood run cold. I felt the color rush from my face.

Oh my God. It was him, there was no mistaking it. His long sleek crimson hair fell to his shoulders, his eyes pitch black; hungry. I saw his lips turn up into a smile.

Oh God. Oh God.

And this time, there would be no Edward around to stop him. I knew I wasn't that lucky. I was going to die.

He took a menacing step toward me. Then another. And another. And with each one he took, I took a step back. Four steps and my feet sank into freezing water and mud. There wasn't anywhere to run. I was calculating plans in my head, trying desperately to thing of anything at all that might help me get away. I couldn't run further down stream-- too many boulders and fallen trees blocked the path. I could follow the bank the other direction. If I ran long enough, I would hit a hill and a bridge, a bridge on a major highway. Civilization. No, that wouldn't work, I thought suddenly. I'd never make it up that hill. It wasn't even a hill, really-- more like a cliff.

Crap, I thought wildly. There was only one way. I was gong to have to get very, very wet, and pray that the homicidal bastard couldn't swim.

Okay. Here goes.

I flung myself back, towards the very deepest part of the stream of water-- I knew it had to be at least six feet in depth-- it went way over my head. But I never made it under the water. I instantly felt something tug ferociously at the collar of my t-shirt and drag me back to dry land, and I let out the most high-pitched, blood curdling scream of my life. I was going to die.

"Lyn!" I recognized the voice instantly. It was Edward. I flailed my arms, trying to get out of the redhead's grip, swinging my head from side to side to see him. I couldn't; my vision was too blurred by tears.

I forced air into my throat through the wordless sobs. "Edward! Edward, help me! Please!"

And he did. He was wrenching my attacker off me, pulling him away and bashing him with what appeared to be an over-sized tree limb. It worked. Suddenly I was sitting in the murky water, soaked from head to toe, on my hands and knees, facing a worried-looking Edward. It wasn't the Edward I knew, but it was undoubtedly him. His eyes, instead of their usual gold or black, were a bright jade green, untouched by the rainy blue specs that dotted mine. The pallor was gone from his skin, and his entire body was faintly flushed. At first I didn't know how to react, how to respond to this drastic change, but eventually some part of me took control and reached out to touch his cheek lightly. I was still crying, this time out of relief instead of fear for my life. I couldn't control myself. I threw myself into his arms without a second thought, my lips meeting his.

I didn't care about what he would say when we finally pulled apart. I knew that I loved him, and I was so, so happy.

He didn't pull away. His arms gently wrapped themselves around my waist, then fell limp at his sides. Something with the taste of copped and salt seeped between my lips and onto my tongue.

I pulled away to see it was blood. Blood, pouring from Edward's mouth, his eyes glazed over, his face distorted in pain.

Black eyes stared at me from over Edward's shoulder. It was the redhead. His mouth was fastened onto Edward's neck.

"Lyn...run..." he breathed in between painful gasps. The monstrous thing attached to him finally released its grip, and Edward fell over on the damp muddy ground, convulsing in pain.

The man's eyes had lightened from charcoal black to deep burgundy.

"Run..."

This was all my fault. I had asked Edward to help me, and he died for it. He died for me.

No...No...Please, not him...

"So, little girl, how would you like to go?" the redhead was lisping and his words slurring, the hiss of a snake behind them. "Would you like for me to kill you quickly, break your neck before the feed? Or would you like to go like your friend, with all senses intact?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but heard nothing but a low, broken sob.

Edward...

He had went still, his eyes closed forever. This couldn't really be happening. It just had to be some kind of nightmare. Any second I would wake up in my sleeping bag in Geni and Kat's room, covered in cold sweat, my chest still heaving.

Warm breath spilled over the curve of my shoulder. A cold muscle, wet with saliva, tasted my skin thoughtfully.

"Exquisite..."

A mouth clamped down hard on my neck...

"Get-AWAY-from-her!"

Edward? He was alive? He was really alive?

It was my Edward, pale white and seemingly invincible, eyes bright gold, darkening in seconds to black. He was angry.

As the forceful arms that held me up were ripped painfully away, my knees gave. Edward and my attacker were fighting.

He was alive! Suddenly nothing else mattered.

Loud screeching, like grating metal. Muffled, gurgling screams. Then the smell of smoke. And Edward was beside me, his eyes just as brilliant a crimson as the other man's bad been, but shining with shame and remorse. Without warning, with that unbearably sad look in his eyes, he pulled me back into his arms. His lips fastened themselves onto the skin of my neck, and there was a terrible tearing pain, and then warmth spilled out of the wound into Edward's mouth, some of it soaking into the collar of my shirt.

I was too happy to notice the fire licking my body from the inside out. I didn't scream, I didn't struggle. I just waited in pure rapture until he pulled away, his lips stained with cherry red...


	8. Author's Note PLEASE READ

Hey everybody.

For those of you who have read my story before and have been waiting for me to update, I sincerely apologize. I know it's taken me a while for me to add another chapter, but finally, I've managed to get it uploaded. Also, if you skipped over the first sever chapters to read my latest, chapter 8, then I highly encourage you to go back and re-read them. I was unsatisfied with the quality of the writing, and so I went back and re-wrote them. Don't worry, the story line is still the same, it just sounds a lot better. Also, I'm having a little bit of writer's block, and have some future parts of the story planned, but don't know how I'm going to fill the little gaps in between. If anyone has any ideas, they would be greatly appreciated. If you do have an idea, send them to me in a message, and i'll credit you at the end of the chapter you submitted input. Also, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to submit a review. Keep it up you guys, it gives me inspiration!

Thanks guys,

Nikozawa


	9. Chapter 8

8. Burning Alive

Vampire.

My God that was so absurd. Where the hell did I get an idea like that? What even put that possibility into my mind? I felt so stupid. I had to be losing my mind.

But... come to think of it, this wasn't the first dream I'd had of Edward like that.

Stay away from me.

I'm telling you I'm dangerous.

I felt my breath hitch in my throat. He'd been trying to tell me all along. Trying to tell me why he couldn't be near me. Why he always looked like he was in so much pain when he was with me.

Just how many times had death come close enough to put its chilled hand on my flesh? Many more times than I realized. I couldn't help but shiver at the thought.

Or was I just being a silly and obsessed little girl? Were they really just dreams after all?

There was only one way to find out. Right then I wanted to talk to Edward more than ever. But what would I say to him? "Hey, Edward, I was just wondering...are you a vampire?"

Yeah, like hell. I had no idea what I was going to say to him. What did it matter, anyway? So what if he was a vampire? That wasn't going to change anything. Not how I saw him; perfect and beautiful. Not how much I enjoyed talking and arguing with him. Not how I felt for him. Nothing.

"Hey, Lyn, what are you thinking so hard about? Get in! The water's great!" Geni called to me from the waist-deep murky waters of the lake.

The air around the lake was perfect, not too hot, and not too cool either. The glassy gray came in beautiful contrast with the deep green and endless, flawless blue. One of the Russell family's guard dogs, a gigantic chocolate lab, paddled in the lake, keeping his watchful yellow eyes on the four girls already wading around, especially on Kat, who had swam out to deeper levels.

I sighed at my inept ability to let my thoughts wander. I had certainly had a short attention span before this, but the presence of Edward Cullen had seemed to only make things worse.

With another sigh, hung my towel on a branch of a nearby tree. "Already. Give me a sec," I replied from the muddy shore, kicking off my shoes and stripping off my tank top and shorts.

Behind me I heard a low whistle, and I playfully glared behind me. Standing there, leaned up against the wide trunk of a pine, was a tall, handsome blonde. His physique was one to make even the most uninterested woman faint, with slight muscles that came from life around a ranch and added wonderful rippling curves to his arms, legs, shoulders, and abdomen, his hair short and clumsily spiked, and his eyes the most earth-defying color of blue I had ever seen. His name was Noah Turner, a neighbor of the Russells. His parents owned another ranch across the lake, and he and his younger sister Jostline-- whom we referred to regularly as Josie-- we're close friends of Geni and Kat. It was no secret that the Turners were good-looking-- as good looking as the Cullens, even-- just like it was no secret that Noah was a huge flirt.

"Enjoy the show?" I asked him.

He grinned and tipped the tan cowboy hat he was wearing. "Very much, Lyn. Have I ever told you that you look amazing in a bikini?"

"Just about every time I come swimming up here."

"Well, you look especially amazing in this one. It's new, isn't it?:

I smiled. Only Noah would notice something like new clothes a girl was wearing. It showed he was truly and interested and paying attention. "Yes, it is. My mom bought me a couple of new bathing suits for the summer."

"Well, red and gold are good colors on you. They make your eyes pop."

This time I blushed and hurried on into the water. Noah kept watch on the shore.

"You've not been yourself today, Lyn," Geni commented as we walked back up the trail. We had decided to go get the cooler from the house and bring everyone drinks, taking the chocolate lab Brody with us for protection, while Noah stayed with Kat, Julie, and Daisy. Now we walked alone in the woods, with the yellow light of the midday sun filtered through the thick mass of leaves overhead. "I something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine."

"It seems to me like something's bothering you."

"Really, Geni, it's nothing. I've just been...distracted lately."

She gave me a knowing smile. "So I'm guessing it's about Edward."

"W-what?" I squeaked, my face going cherry red.

"It's about Edward. I can tell."

Embarrassed, I didn't reply.

"I can also tell that you really like him, Lyn. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I mean, he is gorgeous, and you seem to know him better than anyone else at school other than his siblings."

"He is gorgeous. Inside and out," I whispered.

"What's he like, Lyn? I've always been curious. And, besides, if you're going to end up dating him, he's going to have to pass inspection from all of us."

The blush on my cheeks deepened. "Geni, I don't think I'm his type."

"Why not? He talks to you more than he talks to anyone else, he's been to your house before, you like him, and he obviously likes you back, so--"

I cut her off. "He doesn't like me, Geni. At least not that way. I think at the most he considers me a really good friend. That's it. End of story."

"How do you know what he considers you. Maybe he likes you and just assumes that you don't like him back, like you're doing, and he's waiting for a sign that you're interested? Just give it a chance, Lyn. If you don't, you're just going to end up regretting it."

There was no doubt she was right. But I was too much of a coward. I couldn't face Edward. And things were so much more complicated than Geni knew. Absentmindedly, I touched the bandages on my left arm. The half-healed scraped were burning slightly, and the pain of it grew with every passing second. Within half a minute, I was clutching my elbow, and gritting my teeth from the pain.

"Lyn, what's wrong?"

"This the one, David?" I heard a high-pitched voice giggle from above me. Way above me. I looked up and squinted my eyes. Was someone hiding in the tree tops?

"Yes," the second voice made my blood run cold. "There's no mistaking that scent."

It was so familiar. Frighteningly so. I could only hope and pray that I had somehow fallen asleep again.

Two figures fell on the path directly in front of us. One was a short, pale, beautiful woman with flowing black hair and black eyes, and the other-- oh, God, please let me be dreaming, I thought wildly-- was a tall man with long blood-red hair and matching eyes. There was no mistaking it. This was the man who had attacked me at the creek.

He had come back to kill me. And because she just happened to be with me, they were going to kill Geni too.

I turned to whisper to Geni to run, but instead found her lying unconscious on the ground, the woman standing over her with a terrifying grin.

"She smells wonderful. They both do."

David, in the short second I had turned away, had approached me. He was standing only a few inches away from me, the crimson of his eyes suddenly dyed with pitch black, like a moonless night, a dark sky empty of stars.

In spontaneous reaction, I let out a high, shrill scream, and David's hand fell over my mouth.

"Now now, Meredith. Keep in mind, this one's mine. I don't care what you do with the other one. Or the others either. But if you touch this one, I will rip your throat out," he snapped, flicking his tongue over his lips hungrily as he looked me over.

Oh God, this couldn't be happening.

"Fine, I won't touch your little toy. But you realize we don't have long right?"

David pulled me close to him, fisting his hand into my hair and jerking back my head so that my neck was clearly exposed. "You worry too much, Meredith. By the time they show up, it will be too late."

I felt his lips fall onto my neck, and I shivered and trembled in fear. This was it, I was really going to die.

I'm so sorry, Geni.

The cold marble of his teeth grazed my jugular, and then bit deep, tearing my skin. I let out a muffled agonized scream into his hand, and tears poured down my cheeks. It was like he was shoving the dull end of a butter knife deeper and deeper into my flesh.

His mouth sucked the crescent-shaped gash, his tongue lapping up the blood that was spurting from it, and I whimpered and cried, feeling something else slipping inside me, a burning sensation spreading out from the cut and traveling along the tracery blue lines of my veins. At first it was faint, and I barely noticed it from the throbbing pain of being cut open, and then it grew stronger, becoming the tiny flickering flame on a candle, and grew bigger still.

It overtook the wick, melted the wax to nothing, consumed everything, becoming an out-of-control wildfire that threatened to eat away at my body until there was nothing left of me but a pile of ash. I was being burned alive. Oh God, this was much worse than anything death I'd imagined before. Make it stop.

David's hand failed to contained the blood-curdling, ear-piercing scream that ripped it way from the deepest reaches of my lungs, and then exploded through the air. But it didn't slow him down. Little black clouds spotted my eyes. I could feel my body squirming and writhing, twitching in painful spasms that were so violent I was surprised they didn't snap apart the vertebrae of my spine. I was getting weaker. My body resisted less and less with each passing second, but my heart galloped, beat in my chest like it was going to explode, and the little black spots grew until I could no longer see anything...


	10. Chapter 9

9. Disoriented

So. This was it. The end. How long had I been burning? Not nearly long enough, it seemed. I was so numb now. And it felt... nice. Comforting. Relieving.

Wow. So this was what it was like to die. It wasn't like I'd heard- no outdated sepia filmstrip playing my life right before my eyes like a movie in slow motion, no light at the end of a long tunnel. I couldn't see anything because my eyes were just so heavy they didn't want to open. But there was a gentle, smooth sound, like water. And a soft whimper.

"Lyn..."

"Edward?" I whispered breathlessly, the shock jerking at my eyelids furiously.

"Lyn, open your eyes."

I wanted to. I really did. But I didn't have any feeling in my body. No feeling. No control. All I could do was lay lazily. "I can't..."

"Yes you can. Try harder."

"Edward?"

"Yes, Lyn?"

"I think I'm dying." I guess some part of me worried about how nonchalantly I said that.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I don't feel the fire anymore."

"The fire?"

"Yes. He was burning me alive."

"Who?"

There was another soft whimper. Was that me? "I think his name was David. You saved me from him once before."

"I did?"

"You don't remember, Edward?" I asked softly, a sharp pain in my chest. How could he have forgotten something that I held so close and dear to my heart? Then again, maybe it wasn't that big a deal for him.

"Lyn?"

"What?"

"Why do you keep calling me Edward?" he said.

"Because that's your name, you idiot."

"No," he whispered. His voice was different all of a sudden. "It's not."

Another whimper. My eyes willed themselves open. Above me the sky was swirled with silver and white. The heavens were crying.

"Thank God," said the new male voice. Eyes bluer than the sky peered down at me through soaked dirty blonde hair.

"Noah?" I said, groggily. For a second I didn't recognize my own voice. It was groggy and hoarse. Goodness, was I tired.

"Don't talk, Lyn."

"Why nawt," I said, and realized just how seriously disoriented I sounded.

My answer came with sirens and clanging of metal in the rain. Men in uniforms surrounded me and Noah in seconds.

"She's lost a lot of blood," Noah explained to them frantically.

I felt myself being lifted off the ground.

"Be careful with her!"

"Noah," a female voice chided, "don't tell them how to do their jobs. They'll take good care of her."

Josie. When had she showed up? And just how long had I been out of it?

I turned my head to one side, feeling a bearable stinging I hadn't noticed moments before. In a line beside the stretcher being carried away, I saw Kat, Geni, and Daisy. Good... they were okay. David and Meredith hadn't got to them. That was such a relief. And standing by them were a familiar group. Pale and beautiful... the Cullens.

"Edward," I called out.

He approached just as they lifted me into the ambulance, slowly and cautiously. His jaw was strained, his features pinched with effort. "Lyn," he whispered. "I told you not to go off into the woods by yourself."

"I didn't. Geni was with me."

He pressed a finger to my lips. "Save your strength. You're weak."

I tried to lift up my arm. It felt heavy and jointless, as if it had been turned into a limp noodle or something, but somehow I still managed to take Edward's hand in mine. "Edward," I said softly. I didn't want the others to hear. "I... I think we need to talk."

"Lyn..."

"This is important. Please?"

He sighed and squeezed my hand gently. "Have I ever mentioned how incredibly stubborn you are?"

"A few times," I grinned sheepishly.

"Alright, silly girl. Relax and rest. We'll talk when you're feeling a bit better. You have my word."

I nodded and gave in to the overzealous gravity weighing down my body. My eyes closed.

...

I want to apologize to everyone for how long it's taken me to update, and also for updating with such a short and anticlimactic chapter. Right now I find myself facing a hug brick wall of writer's block for this story. However, I do have some ideas for others that I am moving on to in the mean time, which should be up shortly. Sorry guys!

Also, I put in an author's note to send me a PM if you had an idea for the continuing plot-line of this story. I didn't realize when I had posted that author's note that my private messaging had been disabled. I apologize to anyone who sent me a message and never heard back from me. I have now enabled my inbox to receive private messages, so anyone who has an idea feel free to send it to me and if I decide to use it, I will credit you at the end of the chapter. It would be greatly appreciated and would help me out so much.

Thanks so much guys!


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